The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is celebrating its 45th foundation day, marking over four decades of dedicated service to rural India. Established on July 12, 1982, NABARD has grown beyond its traditional role as a provider of rural credit and now stands as a unique institution combining finance, development, supervision, institution building, and innovation. In Arunachal Pradesh, NABARD’s journey has been one of sustained partnership with the state government, banks, cooperative institutions, civil society organizations, and rural communities.
From building roads and bridges in remote areas to creating irrigation facilities, strengthening rural health and education infrastructure, nurturing tribal orchards, promoting farmer collectives, reviving natural springs, empowering women through self-help groups, and taking unique indigenous products to wider markets, NABARD’s footprint in the state reflects the diversity, potential, and aspirations of Arunachal itself. The Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) has emerged as one of NABARD’s most significant contributions in the state. Under the RIDF, NABARD has sanctioned 534 projects to the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, involving cumulative assistance of Rs 5,116.46 crore.
These investments have created critical infrastructure, including rural roads and bridges, irrigation, drinking water, flood protection, soil conservation, health facilities, educational institutions, and other essential public assets. NABARD has also strengthened agricultural credit flow through refinance support to the Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank, with cumulative sanctions of Rs 109.56 crore for short-term agricultural loans and Rs 86.05 crore for long-term agricultural loans. Financial inclusion remains central to NABARD’s development efforts, with support for self-help groups, joint liability groups, financial literacy initiatives, capacity building, and digital financial inclusion.
The institution has consistently recognized that the future of small and marginal farmers lies in collective strength. Seventeen farmer-producer organizations (FPOs) promoted and supported by NABARD in Arunachal are enabling farmers to aggregate produce, procure inputs collectively, improve processing and value addition, access institutional finance, and negotiate better terms in the marketplace. NABARD’s development approach also embraces appropriate technology and innovation, with initiatives involving the Internet of Things (IoT), digital tools, and emerging technologies in agriculture.
The institution has sanctioned assistance of Rs 2,853.27 lakh towards various initiatives in the farm sector in Arunachal. For Arunachal, climate change is not an abstract future concern. NABARD is supporting interventions aimed at strengthening the resilience of rural communities, including springshed development and water rejuvenation initiatives.
The institution’s wider natural resource management approach encompasses watershed development, climate-resilient agriculture, biodiversity conservation, efficient water use, and community-based management of natural resources. Arunachal possesses an extraordinary wealth of indigenous agricultural produce, handloom traditions, handicrafts, food products, and cultural knowledge. NABARD has been actively supporting the promotion of geographical indications (GI) as a means of protecting this rich heritage while creating economic opportunities for producer communities.
Eighteen GI products have received GI certification with NABARD’s support, and 18 more products are in the pipeline. NABARD has also placed considerable emphasis on rural MSMEs and the off-farm sector through skill development, enterprise promotion, and livelihood programmes. Micro enterprise development programmes, livelihood and enterprise development programmes, and skill development programmes have supported rural youths and women in activities ranging from food processing, bakery and tailoring to handicrafts and other locally viable enterprises.
The emphasis is on linking skills with entrepreneurship, credit, and markets, so that training translates into sustainable livelihoods. Support of Rs 963.78 lakh for the off-farm sector and Rs 245.95 lakh for skill development and capacity building has been granted by NABARD in the state. Cooperatives have a special relevance in Arunachal, particularly in reaching remote communities and enabling collective economic action.
NABARD continues to support the strengthening of cooperative institutions, including Large-sized Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS), through capacity building, governance improvement, business diversification, computerisation, and institutional development. Fourteen LAMPS in the state have been computerised with support from NABARD. Across NABARD’s interventions, women are not peripheral beneficiaries but central agents of change.
Through SHGs, livelihood programmes, financial literacy, enterprise development, and market support, rural women are gaining greater access to finance, skills, income opportunities, and collective platforms. The transformation is often quiet but profound: a woman opening her first bank account, an SHG launching a micro enterprise, a producer displaying her products at a rural mart, or a group of women collectively negotiating with a buyer. The NABARD’s work in Arunachal has always been anchored in partnership – with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, banks, cooperative institutions, universities, research and technical institutions, NGOs, FPOs, SHGs, and community-based organizations.
As the NABARD enters its 45th year, the challenges before rural India are changing, but the institution’s fundamental purpose remains unchanged: to make rural development more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. On its 45th foundation day, NABARD renews its commitment to walk alongside the people of Arunachal, building infrastructure, strengthening institutions, nurturing enterprise, protecting natural resources, and enabling rural communities to shape their own pathways to prosperity. Because when a village prospers, a state grows stronger; and when rural India moves forward, the nation moves forward.
